1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus which aids patients in complying with instructions given by a physician for taking prescription medication, and more particularly, to a device which is programmable in accordance with the physician's instructions or desired regimen.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
A variety of devices have been proposed for recording intervals at which patients, especially those under the care of an attendant, take medication at periodic intervals prescribed by a physician. If the patient or his medical care provider ignores the proper instructions and repeats the dose too frequently or fails to administer or take medication at the proper time, the concentration of medication in the patient's body may become too high or too low. In order to ensure that medications are taken at the proper time, a variety of devices, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,408, have been devised to generate audible and/or visible prompting or alarm signals that remind a patient or his caretaker to administer the correct dosages at the correct time. Such devices have been complex and costly, inconvenient to program, and have not been flexible enough in establishing varying time intervals at which the medication needs to be administered.